Larry Mahan

Rodeo Champion

Larry Mahan is one of the greats of professional rodeo and one of its first mainstream media stars. He started competing professionally in 1964, and by 1966 won his first of five consecutive all-around championships (he won a record-setting sixth championship in 1973). A champion in roughstock events (riding broncs and bulls), Mahan was also a trendsetter who helped professional radio gain exposure to a larger audience. He flew his own plane, wore loud plaid shirts, had long-ish hair and made appearances on TV talk shows and in magazine ads. He retired from competition in 1977, having somehow escaped major injuries after 1,200 rodeos. Now Mahan has a clothing line of western wear and appears occasionally as a television commentator (he hosts a show called Equestrian Nation).